Monday, January 19, 2026

A Cold Day In The Hell Of Our Reality



Well, as I said to my kids in a text this morning, we have no pumpkins but if we did, the frost would be upon them. That's what it looked like in my backyard when I got up. When I tried to open the screen door on the back porch to go outside and take a picture, I realized it had been frozen shut with some of the standing rain on the steps we'd gotten yesterday. I had to give the door a good kick to open it. That was new. 

The frost thawed not long after that because the sun was fully shining, but it never got warm enough to suit me. I am going through massive anxiety because the gauge on our propane tank is way down in the red area and although Glen has called the propane guy twice now, we've still seen no truck show up with the magical hose that stretches for half a mile to go over the fence and down into the tank where the life-saving liquid is stored. The man at the gas company guaranteed Glen that his driver/deliverer would be here either today or tomorrow. 
I guess it's going to be tomorrow. 
I surely hope so. 
Do you remember me recently (as in the past six months) writing a post about the gas delivery guy? The man who was so kind, so sweet, so empathetic, so beautifully and proudly loc'ed? The man who told me he was freezing because he grew up in Jamaica and he was not used to this cold? The man who had played college football at Stetson University? 
Obviously, the man made a huge impression on me and yet, I cannot remember his name and I cannot find the post I wrote about him. I've done searches for "propane gas," "gas delivery," "locs," "kind strangers," and I don't even know what and I can't find a damn thing. Except for the fact that this is definitely not the first time I've gone a little bit crazy worrying that the tank will run dry and I shall die of exposure and frostbite. 

And of course Mr. Moon is back up at the cabin (which he is now regularly calling the camp) and I feel a little deserted in my hour of darkness although what the hell could he do if we did run out of gas? So I've set the thermostat down to 66° and am keeping my fake-fleece-lined hoody on over my long sleeved shirt, long sleeved sweater, and long-sleeved cardigan. He tells me that the heater up at the camp works quite well. He is doing more painting and told me this morning that he wants to get the bedroom all fixed up so that I'll come and stay with him and I made some not very convincing "Ummmm's" and hugged him tightly and well, I am hoping like hell that between a lovely very pale green bedroom and a kitchen with a brand new stove and very cool Fiesta Ware I will indeed be lured into being okay with the concept. Of course, he needs to get that downstairs bathroom finished too before this finicky princess even considers such an idea. 
And I am a woman who has not only camped where we had to dig our own latrines and was fine with that, but also lived in a house for almost a year that had no running water which meant we used an outhouse. Which snakes took shelter in. 
As did wasps. 

Well. 

I watched most of a movie today that I have been meaning to watch since it came out. Pamela Anderson's "The Last Show Girl." I don't know why it's taken me so long. My god. Pamela Anderson doesn't miss a beat. You do not catch her acting. She IS the character. 


Jamie Lee Curtis is also in the film and although she does a fine job, I've never found Jamie Lee to be completely convincing in her roles. I love her politics, her outspokenness when it comes to queer rights, her heart which is most definitely in the right place but the fact is- I DO catch her acting. I can see her trying her hardest to inhabit a role which is admirable but somehow, in this case, it does not work for me. 
Still, I sort of love her character. 
The movie asks the question of what happens to a woman who has based her entire life, sacrificed everything, in the name of beauty and youth as she ages? Who has based her self-worth on the things men worship and is now losing? 
It's powerful. 
Pamela Anderson is a force and that's not something I ever thought I'd say. 

I've made a pot of pinto beans, my favorite, and cooked some rice which is going to go into a spinach and rice casserole that I love. That will be supper tonight. I had what I thought might be a hankering for a big salad at lunch and did my chopping and slicing, and mixed miso and rice wine vinegar and garlic and ginger and other delicious things to make a dressing and, well... it was okay. But bottom line is, I've had a lot of vegetables today and a bowl of beans and a dish of comfort casserole is just what I need. 


Another picture of Lloyd on a cold morning in January. 

Thinking of Martin Luther King, Jr today, of course. Hoping with all my heart that the  things he accomplished in his way too short life will not have been in vain as a completely insane man has the reins of the country which Dr. King wouldn't even recognize today. 
Or perhaps he would. 
We should hang our heads in shame. We should raise our voices in protest in whatever way we can. We should remember and honor King and all of those who marched and protested and faced the guns and slavering dogs so bravely with the determination of knowing that what they were marching for, risking their lives for, was the generations to follow as well as the generations who came before. 

Love...Ms. Moon
 

40 comments:

  1. I’ve been wanting to see the Pamela Anderson movie. Like you, i was surprised in this role for her in the few clips i’ve seen. I’ll have to see if it’s even playing. Our son has all the movie streaming whatevers while we do not. It’ll be months before we see him again.
    We’re at 2* at the moment. Needless to say, the pups aren’t wasting time doing their business.

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    1. The Pamela Anderson movie streams on Disney/Hulu. It's worth watching.
      That is too cold for man nor beast.

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  2. Do you have a space heater to plug into one room if the oil does run out? You and Maurice under a quilt!

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    1. Yes! We do have space heaters. Not very effective ones but better than nothing if it came to that.

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  3. I absolutely loved The Last Showgirl -- and there's something so mesmerizing about Pamela Anderson. Every since I watched that documentary and felt the shame of knowing that I participated in mocking her, I've tried to double down and open my damn eyes to her incredible talent and beauty.

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    1. I finished watching it today and restarted watching it immediately. It's a heavy movie, dealing with issues that women deal with, even if so very few of us have ever been Las Vegas showgirls. You are right- Pamela Anderson is mesmerizing. That is the perfect word.
      I think I've always had a little crush on her. I mean, she's always been the cutest girl on the block but she is now utterly beautiful.
      We women are pretty quick to judge, aren't we? I know I do. And have. And regretted it.

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  4. I haven't seen "The Last Showgirl" yet but it's on my "to watch" list. Over the last few years, Pamela Anderson has become quite the feminist icon which is great to see. She's a true leader in the "natural look, no makeup" movement, along with Jamie Lee Curtis and others. As someone who has never worn makeup, I appreciate the traction their late-breaking rebellion is getting.

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    1. I think it's probably a lot harder for someone like Pamela Anderson to just up and quit wearing make-up than it would be for so many of us. After an entire lifetime of being told your worth is in your beauty, it takes a brave and rather enlightened woman, I think, to let the mask which they have always worn go. I mean- what is make-up but a mask? We see so many Hollywood actresses who do all the things to fight the appearance of aging from a little Botox there to one plastic surgery after another, most of which are simply not helpful. And of course, so much make-up. It is brave of women like Jamie Lee and Pamela to say, "Screw that. This is who I am now." I think it must be very hard to do and also, a very profound statement that they are making.

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  5. The propane man:
    Tuesday, November 11, 2025
    Quite A Day

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  6. I remember the propane man post. Your description of that movie reminds me of part of an old song I heard in a John Wayne movie, possibly "Rio Bravo": "I'm old and grey and I've lost my way, All my tomorrows were yesterday, I bartered my graces for silks and for laces, my (Heart?) I sold for silver and gold, And now I am old."
    I hope you do get that tank filled very soon, I'll keep my fingers crossed 🤞🤞

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    1. Yes. The lyrics to that song are very much like the message in Last Showgirl. Indeed.
      Tank filled. All is well.

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  7. I hope your propane arrived. I DO remember that post about the delivery guy. I've had that happen too -- where I know I've written something and then can't find it later. Blogger's search function is only as good as the words we use in our posts!

    I hadn't heard of that Pamela Anderson movie but it sounds intriguing. We'll check it out.

    A frozen-shut screen door in Florida! Now THAT's something.

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    1. I swear, Steve, I searched for every word I knew I'd used to describe the meeting with KC and I could not find the post.
      I don't know if you'd like The Last Showgirl but I think you might. I felt like it was pretty powerful.
      Yep. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't open that damn door.

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  8. Thanks for that Pamela Anderson recommendation. I'll watch it this week. I never "cared" for Pammie much because I hate all the bimbo roles but over time I've grown to like her so much more. She's still very beautiful in my opinion but it's great to know that there is talent and a true character underneath that gorgeous body. I've often wondered how hard it must be to have been a very beautiful woman at one point and then to lose it over time. Brigitte Bardot, who died recently, once said that she gave her youth and beauty to men and the rest of her life was devoted to animals. There was obviously so much more underneath that beautiful exterior!

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    1. I saw that Brigitte Bardot quote and it was fitting, wasn't it? Being a beautiful woman is a blessing and a curse, I think. No one expects a woman who looked like her or Pamela Anderson or Marilyn Monroe to have a brain. It simply wasn't part of the equation. Still isn't, really. I wonder if Marilyn's many problems and eventual death were not caused in great part by her fear of losing her looks and sex appeal.

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  9. I haven’t seen "The Last Showgirl" but will look for it. Thanks for the recommendation. I remember the propane guy post and I FOUND IT and his name is KC: https://www.blessourhearts.net/2025/11/quite-day.html

    What freakish cold for you. Sending love and a tiny bit of warmth from Córdoba. It was 36F when I woke up early this morning. At least no frost.

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    1. Damn, Mitchell! You found that post too! I wonder why I simply could not? Thank you.
      36° is cold in Spain, I am sure. No frost needed.
      If you watch The Last Showgirl, I hope you like it. It's not just women who struggle with aging and I know this for a fact.

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    2. I should have told you. I searched one word: “propane.”

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  10. If you run out of propane, you will go to Jessie's house, or Lily's, or May's, or Hank's. You will not freeze to death. The cold does suck though and I hope the propane guy comes today.
    I'll have to look for "The Last Showgirl". I've always been thankful that I was not beautiful, in face or body, because I would have been a bitch. Sad, but true.

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    1. I knew I wouldn't freeze to death but I really did not want to have to put anyone out by taking shelter with them. And the propane guy did indeed come.
      Do you really think you would have been a bitch if you'd had those showgirl looks? Interesting concept.

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    2. Yep, I do think I would have been a bitch sadly. If I could have traded on my looks or my body, I think I probably would have.

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  11. Wow! Everybody that found that post for you.

    Our propane tank is also underground, the only one on our street I think. They don't bury them anymore. We're going to get more freezing weather this weekend, down to 26 and the next night 27 and I just uncovered the two biggies and took all the plants back outside yesterday. Sigh. Now have to do it all over again.

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    1. I know, Ellen! Can you believe it? People know my posts better than I do.
      I am so sorry you have to tote and wrap plants again. This is why I don't bother to take things out or unwrap until I am darn sure we've got at least a few weeks of good weather ahead of us. And actually, the plants I bring inside stay here until I am as certain as I can be we won't get another freeze.

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  12. I have watched The Last Showgirl and enjoyed it! It's on Netflix or Hulu ... can't recall which one!

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  13. Glad you got most of your plants inside before the heavy frost! Keep warm. This weekend there's a possibility in western NC of many inches (they say 18 as of now) of snow. So I'm off to get the various survival groceries today...and fill the car's gas tank. (We probably won't get anything, at least so far this winter that's been the case.)

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    1. Eighteen inches of snow is a lot for y'all! I'll be curious to see if that comes to pass. You know how to prepare. Stay cozy.

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  14. I was so pleased that I found the name of the propane man but I see other commenters already beat me to it.

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  15. it's 2* out but feels below zero and we have the heat on 67 to try to nurse this old ass furnace through one more election cycle now that it's old enough to drink AND vote. stay warm xxalainaxx

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    1. Is there anything worse than being in constant fear that your heater is going to call it quits during the coldest part of winter?
      UGH! May it be a champ and keep on heating.

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  16. Frosty lawns and a frozen door just seem wrong for FL.
    Hopefully, your propane delivery comes quickly. No heat on a cold day is no fun. If you ever consider a backup for propane, Heat Pumps (heating/cooling) are a great solution. (I have them as a backup to my oil burning furnace and full home cooling in the summer.) GM could likely install them himself.

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    1. I am pretty sure that what we have is a heat pump which runs on gas. We do not have a furnace and that's for sure. It's the same appliance that provides us with AC but that works on electricity only.

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  17. I had to giggle - your sleuths above found the post and it was on November 11 - so remembrance day. Feeling for you. It got cold enough here yesterday to contemplate finding where I had packed a cardigan away.

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    1. Remembrance Day? Oh my god. That's hysterical.
      Oh no! You needed a sweater? The misery!

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  18. I didn't know Florida got so frosty!!! I don't like feeling Cold, it chills me to the Marrow of my Bones and then Old Age feels more apparent and achy.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.